Trust and Curiosity
by Katyakora
Summary: She couldn't quite pinpoint when, but somehow Ashley came to trust Garrus, and from that trust grew something more.
1. Trust

**Bioware owns all characters and settings, I'm just playing in their toybox**

Trust

Leaning against the rough stone walls of the cave, it occurred to Ashley that she couldn't quite pinpoint when it happened. Shields fried, a geth rocket had left her half conscious and easy prey for the encroaching squad. She had lain there, trying to think, to will her limbs into movement with no success, when a flash of blue had caught her eye. Before she knew it, strong, three-fingered hands were lifting her, hefting her over an angular shoulder, jostling her as she was rushed across the cavern into the shelter of an alcove. Surprisingly gentle hands had laid her on the filthy floor, the flash of an Omni-tool triggering the medi-gel in her suit into action, before turning and firing at the approaching geth.

As the medi-gel numbed the pain of her injuries, Ashley was able to push herself into a sitting position against the wall, her right arm clutching the wound in her side. Their haven was a small crack in the wall of the cavern, which opened up slightly into a space about the size of the Normandy's elevator. Standing at the alcove's entrance, sniper rifle in hand, Garrus was busy thinning the ranks of the geth force, his position making it impossible for the geth to swarm them or sneak up on him. They would be safe, for the moment.

She didn't know when it happened, and for all she knew her brain might have been a bit rattled by the blast, but Ashley knew that she had come to trust the turian. He could have left her there, to die at the hands of merciless synthetics, but had chosen instead to risk his own life to get her to safety. And as she had lain there, dazed and injured, a part of her had known, had trusted that he would try to help her. He had a distinct sense of honour and justice, something she could quietly admit to herself she admired. Human or not, Garrus wasn't the type of person to leave a squad mate to die.

Ashley's pretty features formed a frown as for the first time she realised that she had never thought of him as a person until now. He had always been a turian to her, and by default cold and ruthless. It brought a flush of embarrassment to her cheeks. She had known aliens were individuals, were people just like humans, but in her mind she hadn't made the connection. They were aliens, and therefore not, in her mind at least, people. It shamed her to think that someone she had regarded as little more than an intelligent animal had risked his life to save her.

Her eyes drifted to the entrance, taking in the form of his silhouette as he lined up a shot. The angles were different, and there were sharp ridges in strange places, but still the form was familiar, one of a soldier. It was an action Ashley herself had performed many times, clinical and detached, movements so ingrained through training they were unconscious. He took the shot, a perfect hit into the chest cavity of an approaching trooper. The sound reminded Ashley of her first field assignment, of taking that first shot, and knowing that in doing so she was taking a life. She found herself wondering if Garrus had felt the same way, on the day he took his first real shot. She wondered if he had been as detached and clinical as he was now, or if he had been sweating and afraid as he lined up the shot, the way she had. It got easier, as everything did with repetition and time, but that day had stuck with her. She wondered why it mattered to her how he had felt, or how he felt at all.

Tired, she slumped back into the wall, her head making a thud as it connected with the stone. Garrus' head whipped around at the sound, his sharp gaze assessing her and her injuries, even as he paused to pull the trigger once more.

"Chief Williams, are you alright? How's that wound?" he asked, turning back to the task at hand, glad that there were very few geth remaining.

"The medi-gels kicked in," she replied. "But if my train of thought is any indication, I probably have a concussion." With a wince, she attempted to get to her feet.

"No, stay there, its best not to move," Garrus insisted. "Besides, there's only a couple geth left to take care of." After a moments thought, he decided to keep her talking, so it would be obvious if she passed out. "What was your train of thought? If you don't mind me asking."

"I was wondering how you felt the first time you had to shoot someone in battle," she replied, settling back against the wall with a grunt. That shocked him so much he almost missed his shot, hitting a geth trooper in the arm instead of the head. He glanced at her, his browplates shifted into the turian version of a cocked eyebrow, before deciding to repay her honesty.

"To be honest, I was so terrified I didn't register what had happened until afterwards. I was scouting, came across some batarian mercs. Next thing I knew, they were shooting, I was shooting, it was chaos. After that little fire fight I just stood there looking at the bodies until my CO called on the comms, asking about the noise. I've pulled the trigger hundreds of times since then, but I've never remembered a fire fight as vividly as the first one." He glanced at her, surprised to see that she was nodding, the corners of her mouth twisted into what he would later recognise as her knowing smile.

"Did you hesitate?" she asked.

"No," he replied, punctuating his answer with a shot. Ashley chuckled to herself.

"It figures _that_ would be the one thing I'd have in common with a _turian_," she muttered, more to herself than him. She frowned, once more wondering why it mattered that they had something in common. Maybe it was because she was thinking of him as a person now, the sort of bonding she'd experienced with Alenko and her previous human squadmates was now also happening with the turian. She wondered what her family would think of that, making friends with a turian.

"I think it figures more that that would be something you had in common with a soldier." Garrus' voice pierced her thoughts. She noticed for the first time that his low, flanging tones were strangely soothing. She chalked it up as more evidence she was concussed.

"But isn't every turian a soldier?" she asked mildly, trying to shake away these strange thoughts.

"Yes, I suppose you're right, since we all have to serve in the military. But not all military service is active service. And not every soldier doesn't hesitate."

"Well, that's my attempt to find common ground thoroughly picked apart," she replied reproachfully. "Just forget I said anything." His hawk-like gaze studied her for a moment, before he shot the legs out from under the final geth unit.

"Well, I'm glad to know we have some common ground." He said as he holstered his weapon. Ashley couldn't hide her surprise at that remark, nor when he helped her get to her feet, bracing her with his shoulder as they limped back into the cavern in search of Shepard.

* * *

Garrus slid out from under the Mako at the sound of approaching footsteps, anticipating another conversation with the Commander. He was surprised to see Ashley approaching his station, having apparently been finally released from the medbay. He stood, wondering what she had to say, considering she had never approached him at his station before. In fact, she had never actually spoken to him outside of missions, which was quite a feat considering they worked in such close proximity.

"Chief Williams," he greeted her politely. "I'm glad to see you made a full recovery."

"Yeah," she replied, looking relieved that he'd spoken first. "Although Dr Chakwas definitely took her time with the lecture about avoiding enemy fire." She rolled her eyes, knowing the doctor meant well. She became uncomfortable as Garrus regarded her silently; obviously waiting to hear the reason she had come over. Gritting her teeth, she decided to bite the bullet.

"Thank you. For getting out of range of enemy fire and activating my medi-gel. If you hadn't, I probably wouldn't have made it, as Dr Chakwas took great pains to remind me." He continued to stare at her, in what she supposed was the turian equivalent of mild surprise. She felt herself get slightly flustered, groping for the right words to explain her thoughts. "You're an excellent soldier and I trust you to have my back…I just wanted you to know that." She finished quickly, prepared to rush over to her station and return to ignoring him.

"Coming from you, Williams, that's quite the compliment," he replied, his words making her freeze before she could move way. "I'm glad that I was able to earn your trust. I'll do my best to keep it."

"Yeah, well after today you definitely earned it. And my friends call me Ash." She finished with a nod, before turning in the direction of her station.

_A/N: I'm not very familiar with Ashley, she tended to annoy me in-game, I only found her likeable when I played renegade. So if she seems a bit OOC, that'll be why. I stumbled across this pairing recently, loved it, and was disappointed by the lack of fic, so I decided to add to it. _


	2. Curiosity

Curiosity

It didn't take either of them long to realise that they quite liked having each other as a friend. It became a common sight to see them chatting to each other across the cargo bay, spending hours arguing the merits of sniper rifles versus assault rifles, comparing training experiences and passing jokes. They were pleasantly surprised to find that many of their views coincided, especially when it came to Saren. Ashley had been rather shocked by that, and strangely pleased. It was nice to feel comfortable around him, after the weeks she'd spent trying to figure out his agenda. Her changed attitude towards Garrus had also subconsciously spread to the other aliens on the Normandy. She found herself actually listening to Wrex, curious about his war stories and his days as a mercenary. She initiated a twenty minute conversation with Tali about shotguns without a second thought. Liara still annoyed her, but in all fairness Ashley probably wouldn't have liked her much even if she was human. She found it impossible to believe someone that old could be so naïve.

Ashley could pinpoint exactly when things began to progress from friendly to something more. They had just returned from accompanying Shepard killing geth on some unexplored planet, both sweaty and tired as they approached the lockers to change out of their battle armour. They stood in companionable silence, the clang of weapons and armour hitting metal reverberating throughout the room as they slowly filled their respective lockers.

"Dammit!" Ashley swore loudly as the base of her helmet snagged her hair, pulling it from its usual utilitarian bun. She sighed in resignation as her long thick waves tumbled down past her shoulders. She pulled a hairbrush from the recesses of her locker and began to brush the tangles from her hair so she might twist it into a more manageable form. After a few strokes, she realised the noise of armour being removed and stored had ceased. A glance told her that Garrus was staring at her intently, his sharp gaze following the movement of her brush.

"What?" she asked a little self-consciously. "Never seen a girl brush her hair before?"

"No, actually." Came the surprising reply. Garrus coughed a little awkwardly. "Hair is a human trait, and I've never seen a human with hair as long as yours is. Most human women I've met keep it much shorter." He continued, hoping the explanation would make his unexpected staring less awkward.

"Yeah, well it's a pain in the ass, so most girls keep it short these days," she said a snort. "I hate having to fuss with it, but I hate how it looks short even more."

"I like your hair," Garrus said mildly. "It's looks much softer, now that it's not the way it usually is." He groped for the right terminology to use for something he was so unfamiliar with. Ashley fingered a lock of her hair absently.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty soft. Do you want to touch it?" She froze as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Where had that come from?

"I am curious, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine," said Ashley's traitorous lips, even as she felt herself lean towards him a little. A tentative claw closed the distance between them, taking a thick lock of hair between his fingers.

"It really is soft. Feels almost like fabric." He said absently, as his claws gently carded through her hair. That sent a shiver down her spine, which jolted her back to her senses. Friend or not, letting a guy run his fingers through your hair was generally considered flirting, especially when they were almost caressing it. Was she actually flirting with a turian? Come to think of it, was she blushing?

"I, I should go shower," she stuttered out, before beating a hasty retreat to the crew bathrooms.

She left Garrus standing alone by the lockers giving his fingers a perplexed look as he remembered the feel of her hair between her fingers, wondering where the urge to touch it had come from, and how he'd been mad enough to act on it. True, she had offered, but the way she had looked at him when he slid his fingers through her hair gave him the impression that it was an intimate act somehow. He rubbed his thumb and centre finger together as though her hair was still trapped between them, thinking about the way her breath had hitched slightly and her cheeks had gone pink. The memory made him feel strangely warm, and he found himself wanting to see her react that way again.

He shook his head furiously to clear his thoughts. That was wrong with him, thinking of her in _that_ way? She was a friend, a teammate and a human to boot. How would that even work? Damn, that train of thought wasn't exactly helping. It was probably just one of those things that got lost in translation. There was no way she had been thinking about him in _that_ way, of that he was certain. Ashley had come a long way, it was true, but he doubted very much she had become open-minded enough even to consider cross-species relationships. Garrus put his face in his palm. If he was thinking about a human in _that_ way it had obviously been far too long since his last shore leave.

* * *

Having showered and changed, Garrus made his way up to the mess to collect the bland paste that he was forced to subsist on as one of only two dextro-amino crewmembers. As the machine dispensed his meal, he spotted Ashley sitting a couple of seats down from Tali and Wrex. He sat down opposite her without asking permission, startling her from her thoughts. Her cheeks turned slightly pink again, and he tried not to let it distract him.

"Chief Williams. Ash," he amended when she raised her eyebrows at him, the way she always did when he relapsed into formality. "I just wanted to apologise if I made you uncomfortable in the cargo bay earlier."

"No, its ok, I did offer after all. I wasn't uncomfortable, just … surprised. I don't usually let people touch me like that." She replied quietly, her gaze flicking back and forth between her meal and his face.

"In that case, I'm honoured that you did so just to sate my curiosity."

"Yeah, well, don't mention it," she said gruffly with a shrug focusing on her meal as he followed suit. They ate in companionable silence, both simply enjoying the fact that the awkward moment had been defused.

Ashley finished first, and found herself joined in the elevator by Tali, who kept throwing strange looks her way.

"So. You and Garrus are pretty close these days?" Tali broached innocently.

"We're friends, I guess. Why, what has he said?" Ashley asked, feeling strangely anxious.

"Oh nothing, it's just…your conversation earlier…it sounded as though the two of you had become…intimate?" Tali asked tentatively, having waited out the entire meal with that question threatening to burst from her lips. Ashley replayed the conversation in her head, horror blooming in her face as she realised how bad their exchange sounded out of context.

"It's not like that, at all!" she hurriedly assured her quarian teammate. "I had my hair down, he asked if it was soft and I let him touch it. Not intimate in the slightest."

"Ok," Tali replied simply as the doors opened to reveal the cargo bay. "Then I take it you blushed when he sat down for an entirely different reason?"

"I liked you better when all you noticed were engines." Ashley grumbled as she headed for her work station.

"So you do like him?" Tali asked with a knowing giggle as she followed. She reminded Ashley so strongly of her younger sisters right then that she couldn't bring herself to get mad at her. Instead she opened up, the way she would with her sisters, in the hope of making sense of this mess.

"I don't know. Maybe?" she answered as truthfully as she could, leaning against her workstation. "It's just so weird! He's a damn turian, and I don't even know how that would work. I can't even figure out what it is about him that's attractive. He's just so…so…"

"Alien?" Tali supplied. "As for how it would work, I'm no biologist, but with most species it's a case of insert Tab A into Slot B. At least, that's how it is with quarians and turians, and humans too, from what I've heard. If you really like him, you'll find a way to make it work." She paused for a moment, giving the human a sly look that was completely lost in translation. "If it helps, he was nervous when he sat down with you earlier."

"That's probably because he was apologising for what could have been misconstrued as sexual harassment."

"I don't know," mused the quarian. "His mandibles kept twitching long after he'd apologised. Just like your blush."

"Really? Is that turian for nervous?"

"I think anxious would be a more appropriate term. At any rate, I don't think you're alone in your confusion."

"Thanks Tali," Ashley gave the engineer a small smile. "And I'd appreciate it if this stayed between us. Don't really want the whole ship making conjecture while I'm trying to figure this out."

"Sure thing. Although Wrex bet me 100 credits neither of you would have the quad to admit your feelings. So you may want to ask him to be discrete as well."


	3. Tension

Tension

Ashley was bored. She rolled her shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension built up in them, to no avail. The stress of the mission was getting to her, and she knew it. Every gun at her station was in perfect working condition, and perfectly clean. Shepard was down on Noveria with Wrex and Liara, so there was no chance of any action to take her mind of her stress. It was making her cranky, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Garrus had stopped bothering to talk to her after the third time she snapped at him.

Things between them had pretty much reverted back to normal, just with an added layer of tension that wasn't helping ease her stress in the slightest. She was always hyper aware of him whenever they were near, which was actually an advantage on missions together. She wondered if he felt the tension too, or if it was all in her head. Now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn't the mission she was so stressed about.

A string of curses caught her attention, and she looked across the cargo bay to where Garrus was growling at his computer. Curious, she wandered over to see what had Garrus so worked up, assuming the mako was giving him more trouble than usual. Only God knew how that thing managed to survive Shepard's driving skills, something she had apparently picked up during her days running with gangs on Earth.

"What's up big guy?" she asked as she approached, completely unprepared for the gruff voice that growled out of the console's speakers.

"And who is that? Another one of the _humans_ you're working with, who obviously has no respect for rank. This is who you left C-Sec to work with?"

"She is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, who I happen to respect as a teammate and a friend!" Garrus replied, his voice rouch with restrained anger.

"So not only are you abandoning your place at C-Sec to chase Spectres across the galaxy, your making friends with humans. If your mother was here to see you degrading yourself like this-"

"Don't even try to bring her into this, she would have been happy for me and we both know it!" Garrus shot back. Ashley knew it wasn't her place to intrude, but she was already frustrated and Garrus' father had given her something to snap at.

"Degrading? Garrus is risking his life day in and day out trying to save the entire damn galaxy, and all you can do is belittle him because he happens to be doing that with humans? He may have shown me that aliens are people too, but it's assholes like you that gave me the wrong idea in the first place." And with that she turned and stalked back to her station, fuming. Garrus gave the console a reproachful look.

"Thank you, Dad, for ruining a perfectly good friendship that I spent weeks building," he remarked with a voice dripping in sarcasm. His father grunted.

"I don't see why you would want to friends with a human, they're rash, bloodthirsty creatures. And almost as loose as the asari."

That did it. Garrus punched the off button on the console, clenching his fists tightly as he fought the urge to throw the machine across the room. He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as he got himself under control.

"Sorry about that." Ashley said as she slowly approached him again. "It wasn't my place, and I guess I just made a bad situation worse."

"Don't be. Most of my calls home end that way anyway. If it weren't for my younger sister, I wouldn't call at all." He looked down at his clenched fists, releasing them with a tired sigh. "It doesn't help I'm a little on edge as it is. Humans don't prepare for high risk missions the way turians do."

"You too, huh? I thought I was the only one on this boat going stir crazy. So how do turians deal?"

"Sparring mostly. Helps us work out tension, settle grudges, without anyone getting really hurt."

"Sounds like they have the right idea. I'm game if you are?" Ashley asked lightly as she cracked her knuckles.

"Sure. Have you gone up against turian hand-to-hand techniques before?" he asked as he unclipped the upper section of his armour, allowing him less protection but greater manoeuvrability.

"Can't say I have." Ashley replied as she took in the sight of his bare chest, noting the strange angles and plates that covered him. He had a strangely sleek appearance; with pleasing aesthetics that Ashley did her best to ignore.

"Then I suggest we make this more of a lesson than a real sparring session. I ranked first in my class for hand-to-hand combat," he mentioned as they made their way to the centre of the cargo bay.

"Alright, your kung fu is strong, I get it. That doesn't mean I can't knock you on your ass if I try hard enough."

"I'm sorry, my what?" Garrus stopped short and looked at her very strangely, so she hastily explained.

"Kung fu is an old Earth martial art. Why, does it mean something in turian?" Garrus shifted uncomfortably for a moment before answering.

"It sounds a lot like a Palaven slang word for … the act of getting a female's plates open."

"Plates?" Ashley asked as her mind provided multiple possible explanations, each worse than the last. She shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Just hurry up and hit me before I say something else that's creepy in turian." Garrus chuckled quietly as he complied.

An hour later, Ashley was bruised and sweat-soaked as she circled her opponent. He hadn't been lying when he said he was top of his class, and she knew he'd been going easy on her to begin with. She'd swiftly put an end to that, landing a vicious elbow to his snout that he'd deliberately left unguarded. Both of them were angry and frustrated, and it translated into their sparring, furiously fast with punches pulled at the very last second. Ashley knew she had a bruise on her right cheekbone, and her arms would be black and blue by the morning. Garrus was definitely faring better, although a short streak of blue under his nose showed the path a trickle of blood had made when she elbowed him. They'd been throwing good-natured insults back and forth as they sparred, attempting to rile the other up more.

"Come on Garrus, I've had foreplay that hurt more than that!" That one was an old standby that never failed to throw off a male opponent, but Garrus took it in stride.

"If that's true, I shudder to think what human foreplay involves." He shot back, ducking her swing and aiming a punch at her side, which she blocked.

"Doesn't involve any 'kung fu', that's for sure," she replied with a grunt, blocking a flurry of blows before twisting to land a hit on his side.

"Don't be so sure. According to Joker, human women enjoy it when you lick that particular spot." That comment made her falter, and she failed to block the blow that gave her a matching bruise on her left cheek.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't believe everything Joker tells you," she warned as she recovered, ignoring the voice in her head that demanded to know why she was flirting with a turian. She dodged a punch in just the right way to knee him in his midsection, and he bent double, winded. She smirked cheekily at him until he grinned evilly at her, and moved so suddenly she didn't register it until she was on the ground. Damn, he really had been holding back.

Her breath hitched as she looked up into sharp blue eyes staring down at her, suddenly hyper aware of the strong, sleek body pinning her to the ground. For his part, Garrus seemed to be frozen, locked in place by her gaze. Her hand slowly rose up until it touched his cheek, stroking down his right mandible, her fingers delicately tracing the cobalt blue markings. He felt like she was waiting for him to do something, but he couldn't move, could only stare into the depths of those warm brown eyes as she lay beneath him, the warmth of her body like a furnace against his bare chest.

A hesitant breath, a tentative touch of her lips against his rigid mouth, a strange and wholly pleasant sensation. He pressed his mouth closer to hers, exhilarated by her surprised and enthusiastic response. Her left hand glided it's up his collar ridge to rest on his sensitive neck, and he let out a quiet moan. His mouth opened slightly, and was suddenly invaded by a shy, hot tongue that stroked his own, making him shiver at the surprising pleasure of the alien action. Her soft, supple body was pressed up against his unfamiliar planes and ridges, one leg cocked over his sharp hip, and he could feel the plates that housed his tumescence begin to shift as it extended out from him, to press painfully against the confines of his armour.

The sound of the elevator arriving dragged them both back to their senses, and the requisitions officer returned from his lunch break to find Garrus offering a sweaty and flushed Ashley a hand up.

"I told you if you sparred against me you'd wind up on your ass." Garrus was saying as he pulled the Gunnery Chief into a standing position.

"You may have kicked my ass, Vakarian, but I learnt a lot." Ashley countered. The requisitions officer paid them no mind, going off instead to see if Engineer Adams needed any supplies while they were docked. The pair watched him go until he was well out of earshot.

"Well. That happened." Ashley broke the silence, having no idea what else to say.

"Sorry if I offended you, I wasn't sure if you wanted people to know or … if you wanted to forget it ever happened," he said slowly, his heart beating painfully in his chest as he waited for her answer. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't think I could forget that even if I wanted to," she said breathlessly, her body still shaking slightly from adrenaline and the way it had felt to kiss him. She noticed his mandibles twitching nervously, and was glad she wasn't the only one shaken by this latest development. "And I definitely don't want to forget it. I just … this is weird for me. I don't exactly make a habit of making out with my sparring partners, human or otherwise."

"This isn't exactly normal for me either." Garrus added drily.

"I should probably go shower." Ashley mused, looking down at her sweat-soaked uniform and unsure of what else to say.

"Look, Ash, I…was I imagining it, or was there more than just relieving tension involved just now?" Garrus asked, cursing the fact that he found her so hard to read.

"No, you weren't imagining it," she conceded, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck. Deciding to just bite the bullet, she looked him in the eye as she spoke. "Look, Garrus, I like you. I've been really mixed up about it, and it helps that now I know the feeling is pretty much mutual, but I just need a little time, to figure this out."

"That's probably best," Garrus said with a shrug. "It's not every day you find yourself attracted to an alien. I'm gonna need to think on this a little myself. Just," he paused, taking a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder. He felt her lean into it slightly, encouraging him. "…don't think too long." She gave him a small smile and on an impulse, leant up to peck him on the cheek, before heading off for a long cold shower.


	4. Truth

Truth

Though both had planned to keep their burgeoning relationship under wraps, neither had planned on Wrex. Both of them were working diligently at their stations, attempting to think of anything but the incident that morning, when Wrex and Kaidan arrived on the elevator. Wrex had just returned from their excursion on Noveria, and Kaidan was carrying Liara's battle gear, causing Ashley to frown, wondering over the asari's absence. The pair reached the lockers next to Ashley's station and began to unload, Kaidan giving her a friendly greeting, Wrex acknowledging her with an apathetic grunt. She nodded to them both, and continued to work, until the sound of someone sniffing loudly made her turn and raise an eyebrow at Wrex, whose nose was an inch from her shoulder.

"You smell different, human," he stated in his usual low, threatening tone. "Almost like…" He trailed off, his eyes roaming the cargo bay, until they locked on the Garrus' form hunched over his console. The krogan warrior began to march across the room, and then stopped dead, right in front of the spot where Garrus and Ashley had wound up on the floor. He got down on one knee and sniffed at the ground, his face screwed up in disgust as he got to his feet.

"Quarian!" he bellowed, making everyone on the Normandy jump as his angry voice reverberated through the ship. "Come and get your money, dammit!"

"Really?" a heavily accented voice asked as Tali's form appeared in the doorway to the engine room. "They finally admitted it?"

"They did more than admit it from the smell of this one." Wrex growled out as he jerked his thumb in the direction of the mortified and flustered Gunnery Chief. "What did we agree on? A hundred if they admit it, a thousand more if they seal it?"

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Kaidan asked, his eyes flicking between the credits Wrex was transferring on his omnitool and the look of surprise and horror on Ashley's face.

"Wrex and I made a bet," Tali explained as she checked her omnitool to make sure the credits had transferred. "He bet me a hundred credits that Ashley and Garrus weren't brave enough to admit they liked each other," She shot Ashley a sly look, and a note of approval was clear in her voice as she spoke. "I bet that they would not only admit it, but seal the deal, as it were. He said if they did that, he'd up the bet to a thousand." Kaidan just stared at her, flabbergasted, before turning to Ashley, who had yet to regain her faculties.

"I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding here," Garrus' soothing tones managed to penetrate the haze of shock Wrex's revelation had put her in, and she beamed up at the turian as he spoke.

"Chief Williams and I had a little sparring session this afternoon. We were both a little tense from the pressure of the mission, and sparring is commonly used on turian ships to help relieve that." Wrex grunted at that, his eyes narrowing as he looked the turian in the eye.

"Oh, yeah? I wasn't aware turians made a habit of sparring with their tongues down each others throat. Or do they include tongue wrestling in turian basic training?" he countered with a smirk.

"OK, we kissed!" Ashley admitted, glaring at the krogan. "But how can you even know that?"

"You stink of suppressed arousal, for one thing," Wrex answered bluntly, completely ignoring her shock and horror. "So does he," he continued, gesturing to the gaping turian. "You smell like turian spit and he smells like human sweat. That spot right there," he pointed at the spot near is feet. "Smells like all of that combined. I figured you'd finally given in and decided to relieve another kind of tension, but got interrupted. This place ain't exactly private."

"I can't believe he just said that," Ashley muttered into her palm. "Yes, OK, Garrus and I have a thing."

"Which happens to be none of your business," Garrus added. "Also, Tali you need to return most of that money, as there as been no 'sealing' to speak off." Tali pouted inside her helmet, but diligently returned the funds anyway. The group dissipated, Wrex returning to remove the rest of his battle armour, Tali wandering back to the engine room and Kaidan hastily retreating up to the crew's quarters.

"Great, now the whole crew knows." Ashley said with a sigh.

"Does it matter?" Garrus asked, the question surprising her. She blinked up at him.

"No, I don't think it does. It's just, being in the military, I'm used to keeping my feelings to myself. It's a little strange to have them shouted across the ship by a krogan."

"So, my being a turian, isn't a problem? You don't really mind if people know?"

"I'm not gonna treat you like a dirty little secret, Garrus. Sure this isn't what I expected, but if Wrex had been shouting to the whole ship about me and a human, I'd probably react the same way. Worse, considering with you I don't have to worry about fraternisation regs. One of the perks of dating a turian I guess." He looked at her sharply at that.

"Are we? Dating, I mean. I know you said you wanted to think about it…"

"I have been thinking about it, that's just it, I can't stop thinking about it. So … I guess I'm game if you are?"

"Oh I'm game. So, I guess I'll … do some research and figure out how to make this work."

* * *

Ashley looked up from her meal as Kaidan sat down opposite her. They sat in silence for a while, the hum of the crew deck surrounding them as they chewed.

"So," Kaidan said finally. "You and Garrus, huh?" Ashley sighed.

"Yeah, me and Garrus." She put her fork down and looked at him. "Whatever you need to say LT, just say it."

"I gotta say Ash, you're the last person I expected to see championing interspecies relationships," he paused, his thoughtful eyes assessing her. "I'm happy for you. This just shows how much you've grown." Ashley opened her mouth to argue, then shut it again. He was right. A few months ago, the idea of falling for an alien had been unfathomable to her, and she had believed those humans who indulged with aliens to be the very worst of the depraved. And yet here she was, friends with aliens and in a budding relationship with one. She shrugged, not really sure how to articulate her mix of emotions. She never had been good with words.

"Just don't go spreading it around, OK?" she muttered as she continued her meal. He chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that reminded her a little of Garrus' chuckle.

"Don't worry, I won't." He paused again, and she felt those eyes searching her once more. "Are you gonna tell your family?"

"Yeah, that's going to be one hell of an awkward conversation."

"I take it your family shared your old views?" Ashley shook her head.

"Not really, and if they did I was the most vocal about it. My sisters all thought aliens were weird, but they never had anything against them. I guess my mom never really talked about it. My sisters are gonna tease the shit out of me, that goes without saying, but my mom…I just don't know."

"Well, if they're anything like you've said, I'm sure your family will support you no matter what."

"I just hope my dads not disappointed in me." Kaidan just nodded solemnly, aware of Ashley's faith. "I better go send off some mail back home, since you so kindly reminded me I have something to tell my family now."

"We're still docked, so you can make a direct call if you want."

"Great, face-to-face awkward conversation, even better." Ashley grumbled as she headed off to make a call home.


	5. Courage

Courage

As Ashley dove behind a heavy crate to shelter from the oncoming geth fire, she found herself suddenly reminded of another time she had been pinned down by geth forces. Of course, that time she had been knocked silly and thrown into cover by a certain turian. She felt her chest tighten; reminding her of the ache she had felt since that emotional exchange over the comm. The commander had chosen Kaidan, an entirely unsurprising decision. Ashley had accepted when she joined the Alliance she would die in battle, and she had no problem with dying for the fleet, and dying so that a friend might live was more than she could have hoped for.

But all her quiet acceptance felt hollow when she thought of Garrus. Their relationship had not physically progressed further than a few heart-melting kisses, usually stolen behind the mako, but they had spent most of the last few weeks together, learning everything they could about each other. He had even met her family.

"_A turian?" Ashley cringed as Sarah's voice shrieked through the console's subpar speakers. "All the gorgeous marines in the Alliance and you picked the scary, spiky alien?" Ashley snorted at that._

"_Considering the personalities of some of those marines, I think I'll take scary, spiky and nice over assholes with rippling abdominals any day."_

"_I second that motion," Lynn piped up, rolling her eyes at her younger sister's look of shock. "Oh grow up Sarah. A nice guy is worth ten assholes any day, no matter how good they look. I would have thought you'd figured that out by now."_

"_Nice guy vs Douchebag is one thing, but have you _seen_ a turian? It would be like doing the Deed with a porcupine!" Ashley's face went bright red as she hid behind her palms._

"_They're not _that_ spiky Sarah!" Both younger siblings were suddenly riveted to the screen._

"_So…You've done it? With a turian? What-"_

"_NO I have not!" Ashley ground out loudly enough to drown Sarah out. "Look, it's early days yet and we're a little preoccupied with saving the galaxy." Lynn leant over to whisper in her sister's ear, and Sarah smirked suddenly._

"_So, what's he look like?" she asked innocently, and Ashley narrowed her eyes in suspicion._

"_Well, aside from being tall and spiky, he's pale grey, with blue eyes, although he wears a visor over his left eye so much he looks weird without it. And he has bright blue clan markings over his nose, cheeks and mandibles."_

"_I knew it!" Lynn sang out triumphantly. "That's him behind you right? Standing next to that computer?" Ashley glanced over shoulder, and sure enough, Garrus had returned from his lunch break and was dutifully at work on the mako's systems._

"_That's him," Ashley conceded with a sigh._

"_Well, I still don't see it," Sarah said as a faint bang sounded in the background. "Why you would want to date a turian is beyond …" she trailed off as her eyes drew up to look at something behind the camera, with a suddenly nervous look on her face. _

"_Hi Mom," Ashley said into her palms, a moment before her mother came into view of the camera._

"_Girls, go get the groceries in for me while I talk to your sister," the Williams matriarch ordered in a deceptively mild tone. Both girls got up quickly, well aware refusal was not an option, Sarah mouthing 'sorry' as she stood. Ashley's mother sat in front of the camera just looking at her for a moment._

"_So. A turian?" _

"_Yeah. A turian." She was surprised by the quiet chuckle that followed._

"_You know, Ash, of all my girls I thought you were the one I didn't have to worry about springing surprises on me."_

"_Your not mad? Or freaked out?" Ashley asked incredulously. Over her mother's shoulder she could see her sister's peeking from behind a doorway._

"_I'm a little concerned, but Ashley, sweetheart, knowing you he has gotta be one hell of a good man to catch your eye."_

"_He is. He saved my life, even when I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him."_

"_Well I always thought your views when it came to aliens were a little heavy-handed. But as your grandmother always said, `a Williams never does anything by half measures.' Now, where is this mysterious turian of yours? I demand interrogation rights!"_

"_Mom! Seriously, you want to do this now?"_

"_It'll probably be the only chance I get! Knowing you, you wouldn't have even told me about him 'til the wedding!"_

"_What wedding?" A low, flanging voice said behind her. She jumped, whirling in her seat to see Garrus standing behind her holding a piece of the Mako's main gun._

"_Is this him?" came the intrigued voice from her console._

"_My apologies, I didn't realise you were in the middle of a call. I'll come back later." He turned to go but she grabbed his arm._

"_Oh no you don't, she wanted to meet you anyway, so let's get this over with." Ashley said sullenly as her mother said "Such manners, always in the last place you look. Like stockings." Ashley sighed heavily._

"_Mom, this is Detective Garrus Vakarian of C-Sec. He's here to aid my commanding officer in an ongoing investigation."_

"_A pleasure to meet you Mrs Williams," he said with a bow of his head. The conversation immediately degenerated into her mother quizzing him on his life on Palaven, in C-Sec, his family and any past relationships he'd had, all of which he took in stride. Once her curiosity was satisfied, she looked at her daughter with a smile._

"_Well, you've certainly found yourself a keeper her Ash. Her father would have loved him."_

"_You think?" she asked, squeezing the turian hand she held under the table._

"_Garrus, men like you are a rare thing in _any_ species. I gotta start dinner now, Garrus, you take good care of my Ashley now, I would hate to have to hunt you down. Goodbye sweetheart, love you always."_

"_Love you too Mom." Ashley replied before cutting the link._

"_That went well. At least I think it did. It went well right?" Garrus asked anxiously._

"_It went incredibly well. My mom likes you, which is more than I can say for any of the guys my sisters have brought home."_

"_Really? I felt like I was on the receiving end of a C-Sec interrogation."_

"_That's normal for my mom." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now, what was it you came over for?" _

She spent the rest of the day thinking about what her mother had said. The more she thought about it, the more she agreed. Garrus was respectful, intelligent, dedicated, all the qualities her father admired, and looked for in his daughter's suitors.

She found herself getting anxious when he went planet-side without her, and often returned from her own excursions with Shepard to find him pacing, snarling at Wrex's knowing guffaws until he saw her, a turian smile on his face as he embraced her. Garrus was a protector at heart, a quality she found both greatly endearing and infinitely irritating. If ever she told him she didn't need protecting, he would just raise a brow plate and remind her of the day he pulled her out of the fire in that cave.

But there would be no strong, three-fingered hands pulling her out of the fire today. No bony, angular shoulder to sling her over and run to safety. Today she would die on this lush, beautiful planet, either in a hail of gunfire or in the unbearable heat of a nuclear explosion.

Of her salarian team, only three remained, taking cover like her, keeping the wave of geth from approaching with carefully timed shots. Ashley took a deep breath and began to pray, not for her self, but for the brave souls fighting at her side, for the commander and Kaidan, and for Garrus. She prayed that he would be safe, and that he'd find someone who appreciated his intelligence and detective skills, who found his bouts of awkwardness endearing, someone who had the courage to tell him that she loved him when she had the chance. She felt a tear fall, the deluge of emotion she was holding in check pushing through that one physical sign of her feelings.

To her left, one of the salarians got taken out by a geth sniper. She looked to her right and saw the other two salarians, one hastily applying Medi-gel to the other, whom Ashley could tell no amount of Medi-gel could save. Gritting her teeth she finished her prayer, and said a silent goodbye to Garrus. Assault rifle in hand, she stood from behind her cover and took aim at the trooper bearing down on her position. A heartbeat before she pulled the trigger, the trooper's head exploded.

* * *

_Three minutes earlier_

"Commander!" Shepard stopped in her tracks at the sound of the abrupt command, something she had been expecting, but hoping she wouldn't have to deal with. She turned to face her turian squad member, looking up into icy blue eyes that somehow burned. She held his gaze, locked in a silent battle of wills, for perhaps half a breath before he spoke.

"That's an order I can't follow." His voice was strained, as his respect for Shepard and his turian military training warred with his feelings. He suddenly felt a great sympathy for Wrex, who must have felt something similar when told they intended to destroy the cure to the krogan genophage. Shepard had managed to talk him down, and Garrus found himself wondering if he would receive similar treatment. He highly doubted there was anything she could say to change his mind, so would he then be shot in the head, the way Shepard had warned Ashley to shoot Wrex if he got violent? His gaze flicked to the krogan beside him, and his grip tightened on his sniper rifle. Shepard's eyes narrowed, a calculating look she got when analysing a complex situation.

"Are you sure?" she asked suddenly. He blinked in surprise, and then nodded. Without warning, a hand shot up and grabbed the front of his armour, pulling him down by his neck ridge until his eyes were at her level.

"I can guarantee you ten minutes," she said quietly as she looked him directly in the eye, their faces almost nose-to-nose. "If you haven't reached the bombsite by then, we will be gone, and the BOTH of you will be left down here. Do you understand me?" A slow grin lit his face as he pulled away from her.

"Completely, Commander. See you in eight," he called as he began to run. Shepard spared a second to watch him go, surprised at just how fast he was, before heading off to save the man she loved.

* * *

Ashley's eyes widened in shock as a second trooper met the fate of its predecessor. She chanced a glance back just as three strong fingers gripped her shoulder.

"Garrus?" she cried in both relief and horror. He gave her a sheepish smile even as he took down two more geth. "What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't have Shepard walking into Hell without her best soldier." He shrugged, flicking his Omnitool to overload another geth.

"What about Shepard?" She had to shout, to be heard over the gunfire.

"She's got Wrex, she'll be fine. I highly doubt a few geth will give her much of a challenge."

"What about you?" Ashley's voice hitched. "You gotta get outta here, get back to the Normandy before this place blows!" She tried to shove his shoulder, but her wrist was caught in a strong grip.

"Not without you," he growled, the low, animalistic tone sending a shiver up her spine. He let go of her wrist and continued shooting.

Ashley's face broke still held a look of shock as she stood up and continued to fire at the geth, drawing strength from the turian fighting at her side. She tried not to think about the fact that he had come for her only to most likely die at her side.

The sole surviving salarian broke cover to reach their position.

"I rigged those crates over there to explode," he panted, turning to Garrus. "Thanks for distracting them. I suggest a hasty retreat to the rendezvous point?" His last statement was unashamedly hopeful.

"Sounds good to me," Garrus said as he shoved the others to their feet, before turning and shooting as they made their retreat, the salarian stopping briefly to detonate his impromptu bomb. All three turned and ran as smoke and debris obscured them from view. Hysterical laughter bubbled up in Ashley's chest as they ran, and she clamped down hard on it, only letting her smile shine through.

Panting and exhausted, they reached the bombsite to find an injured Kaidan trying to revive an unconscious Wrex as none other than Saren Arterius held Shepard in the air by her neck. Without a word, the three new arrivals took cover before anyone noticed them; allowing Garrus time to line up his shot. A perfect headshot hit newly regenerated shields, and Saren snarled, turning to look in the direction of the shot, giving Shepard the perfect opening to punch him in the face. He dropped her, and at the sudden deafening sound of a klaxon, made a hasty retreat on his mobile platform.

Shepard strode over to Kaidan and Wrex, who was only just coming to.

"You're late, Vakarian," she said with a grunt as she hoisted Kaidan's injured form over her shoulder.

"You gave me ten, I said eight. Nine seems like an appropriate compromise." Garrus replied mildly as they hurried into the Normandy's hold, where Dr. Chakwas and Liara were waiting with a stretcher.

"Still late," Shepard countered. "But thanks for bringing my soldier home." She smiled gratefully and patted him on the shoulder, before following Kaidan's stretcher into the elevator. He was certain she was thinking about the squad she'd lost on Akuze. He knew she hadn't made the decision to leave Ashley behind lightly, and could only imagine how glad she was that he had been willing to risk his own life to get them all home safe.

"I bet I'm the only princess in history whose knight in shining armour actually has armour for skin." At the sound of Ashley's voice, still slightly shaky with adrenaline, Garrus turned and pulled the still armoured human into his arms.

"I'm not quite sure what that means, but I'll take it as a compliment," he said as he pulled her into a kiss. Though strange and a little awkward at first, Garrus had found that he rather liked the human custom of kissing. Her hands gripped the back of his head as she returned the kiss, eliciting a contented hum from deep in his throat, revelling in the simply pleasure of skin contact. He finally let go off the fear that he would lose her, reassured by the feel of the soft, warm body in his arms and the sweet lips pressed against his mouth. Ashley herself was fairly certain she would not be standing if he wasn't holding her, exhaustion catching up to her as all the adrenaline and stims wore off.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you put yourself in impossible situations just so I could charge in and save the day," he mused as they parted for breath. "But I know better," he added as she raised an eyebrow at him, and she laughed.

"Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd probably say the same." She jabbed him lightly in the chest. "I think you just enjoy playing the hero."

"Only for gorgeous humans in distress." That earned him a light slap on his chest and a slight glare.

"I was holding my own perfectly fine before you got there. And I'm pretty sure the fact that I chose to be there means I was most definitely _not _a damsel in distress!" Garrus held up a hand in surrender.

"Relax Chief, I'm well aware you're far from helpless. Right now I'm just happy I got to you in time."

"And I'm glad you came. I'm a little mad that you risked the whole mission to save me, but considering I'm not a radioactive corpse right now, I can't really complain."

"That's a shame, I've always had a thing for the radioactive ones."

"You are such an ass," Ashley said as she tried to hold back a laugh, shaking her head even as she pulled him closer, resting her cheek against his shoulder.


	6. Research

Research

Ashley found herself decidedly suspicious as Tali approached her workstation with exaggerated casualness. Garrus was in conference with a pair of the salarian commandos, as they attempted to fix the very battered Mako. Wrex had retreated to the mess hall a while ago, making it very clear to all that he was only barely tolerating the presence of the salarians.

"So," Tali began as she approached the workstation. "You two were very…cuddly when you got back to the ship earlier." Ashley sighed deeply.

"Yes, well, nearly dying apparently has that affect on me." Tali nodded knowingly as she leant back against the bench.

"I was just wondering how far your relationship has progressed?" she asked casually, looking sideways at her friend. Ashley groaned irritably and rubbed her temples.

"Tali, please tell there is a point to this line of questioning other than gossip about my love life?" The young quarian hung her head a little apologetically.

"I was just thinking, when I saw you two together earlier, that there might be a chance that human xenobiology classes might not be as…comprehensive as quarian classes are. I was trying to find out whether or not you needed any…extra lessons, before I offered them." Ashley froze for a moment as she attempted to process Tali's admission.

"Ok, unless I'm way off, you're offering to give me a crash course in interspecies sex-ed?" She asked incredulously.

"If sex-ed means what I think it means, then yes," Tali replied, a little confused as the abbreviation did not translate well. "I just didn't want you getting in too deep without a little prior knowledge. You know, to make things less awkward."

"That's surprisingly sweet," Ashley admitted with raised eyebrows, touched by the quarian's offer. "I have a little basic knowledge of alien anatomy, but none that would…" She paused, groping for the right term. "…be useful practically. I guess it would be good to have a little prior knowledge. God knows I'm _not_ going to try and find it on the extranet." She added with a shudder.

"Yes, that would probably just be disturbing." Tali agreed as she nodded sagely. "Come on, Liara said we could use her room for privacy."

"Wait, what?" was all she managed to splutter before Tali dragged her by the arm into the elevator.

Liara looked very nervous as the two women entered her small lab. She stood up hastily, looking very apologetic as she began to stammer, her cheeks already pink.

"A-as asari have the most experience with interspecies relationships, Tali requested I include myself in your…discussion. I-I agreed as long as my presence didn't make you uncomfortable, Chief Williams." She looked down at her hands as she finished. Ashley sighed.

"Give me a second, I'll be right back." With that, she turned on her heel and left the room before Tali could stop her. The doors had barely closed before sliding open to admit her again, a bottle of amber liquid in one hand and a pair of glasses in the other. She glared at the pair of them.

"Congratulations, I now owe Chakwas a bottle of tequila," she said sullenly as she took a seat on a convenient stool.

"Are you sure imbibing alcohol is wise?" Liara asked tentatively as she returned to her seat, watching Ashley knock back a shot.

"It's wiser than trying to do this sober," Ashley replied, filling the second glass and plopping it down in front of Liara. "You too, drink up!" she ordered. "It'll be a day or two before we make it back to the citadel after we drop the salarians, so there'll be no ground missions to worry about, and if I'm getting drunk somebody else has to. Tali can't 'cause she's a minor, so we'll have to drink her share for her."

"O-Ok," Liara conceded, tentatively lifting the glass and mimicking Ashley's earlier action. "Goddess!" she gasped afterwards, much to Ashley and Tali's amusement.

"Don't worry, it gets better after the third or fourth shot." Ashley assured her with a chuckle.

"All right, lets get started," Tali said assertively as she dragged a stool to sit opposite the two older women. "Ashley, what _do_ you know about turian anatomy?"

"I know that they're physically similar to earth avians," Ashley began as she thought back to high school biology classes. "Their metal carapace covers most of their body and guards against radiation. Ahhh, that's about it, aside from the fact they're dextro and their blood is blue." She finished with another shot, coaxing Liara into having another also.

"Ok, this is what I was worried about," Tali said sagely. "So I take it you don't know that the average male turian can extend his tongue 20 to 25 centimetres from his mouth?"

"He can?" Ashley asked, a little scandalised as her mind supplied various ways in which that could be put to use.

"Yes," piped up Liara as she poured them both a third drink. "Turian female sexual organs are located behind protective plates that require tactile, and preferably warm, moist stimulation to open." She knocked back her shot. "Typically, males entice them to open through excessive rubbing and licking." Liara finished, looking at her expectantly. It took Ashley a moment to realise she was waiting for her to drink, and hurriedly complied.

"Turian males also keep themselves tucked away, but they don't necessarily require direct touch to emerge," Tali continued, earning a snort from Ashley.

"Just like human males then," she muttered.

"Not quite," Tali countered, and Ashley could definitely hear a grin in her voice. "If my xenobiology teacher is to be believed, turian males are around two times the size of the average quarian male, who are apparently comparable to human males." She giggled as Ashley's eyes widened, and Liara took up the lesson.

"We were warned that there is usually initial discomfort because of the size and ridges, so lubricant is handy, and chafing is sometimes a problem." She offered Ashley her glass. "Another?" she asked almost cheekily. Ashley took the glass gratefully, chinking it against Liara's before she drank, as the slightly confused asari followed suit.

Ashley was fairly certain there was more to the lesson, but it became a blur as she and Liara polished off the bottle, their conversation becoming decidedly slurred as Tali watched with amusement. They were soon swapping stories, and Ashley was pleasantly surprised to find herself enjoying the young asari's company, and found herself telling her so, which led to a round of hugging.

Liara recounted the tale of the time she'd covered for her roommate at university, assuring the other asari's krogan father she hadn't seen her, while the roommate in question stood stark naked behind the door with her salarian boyfriend. All three women were falling over with laughter as the door slid open, to reveal a mildly surprised Shepard.

"When I heard laughter coming from this room, I thought I needed to get my ears checked." She said drily.

"C'mmander," Ashley hiccupped and somehow managed a sloppy salute, which Liara attempted to copy and just hit her head instead.

"Glad to see you're getting along," Shepard commented mildly as she leaned against the doorframe, her amusement clear in the grin on her face. At that moment, a curious turian entered the medbay.

"Gawwus!" Ashley squealed in delight as she spotted him, and then clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. "Oh crap, I said that out loud, didn't I?" she asked meekly, looking up at him apologetically.

"I have to admit, that's the first time I've ever heard my name squealed in public," he said drily, his eyes twinkling with humour. "I think I can forgive you, just this once."

"How generous," Shepard said, obviously fighting to keep a straight face.

"Has it been squealed in private then?" Liara said slowly with a slight frown. "You said you never heard it squealed in public…"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied cheekily.

"Yes I would," Liara said quite seriously. "For th' purpose of furth'ring Ash's education!" she managed to slur out.

"Education?" Shepard inquired with a raised eyebrow, an equally quizzical expression on the turian beside her.

"It was her idea!" Ashley accused as she pointed a finger at Tali.

"The alcohol was her idea!" Tali countered as she pointed back at her.

"Both excellent ideas," Liara added as she attempted to catch the last few drops from the bottle in her mouth, promptly falling off her stool when she leant back too far. Ashley followed when she fell off the stool laughing, caught just in time by Garrus as Shepard and Tali helped a giggling Liara to her feet.

"Let's put you to bed," Garrus suggested as he suppressed his own mirth.

"OK Gawwus," Ashley slurred and suddenly found herself scooped up and deposited on a bed in the medbay. "Bed is good. G'night Gawwus," she murmured as she curled up and promptly fell asleep. Once Liara had been put to bed in her lab, Shepard gestured for Tali and Garrus to follow her. She took a seat in the deserted mess hall, and they joined her, along with a curious Kaidan.

"What was all that noise about?" he asked as he sat down next to Shepard.

"Yes," Shepard agreed, looking pointedly at Tali. "What was all that about?" The young quarian fidgeted nervously, and threw a concerned glance at Garrus.

"Research," she said cryptically. "I'm not sure it's my place to say more." Shepard smiled knowingly.

"Girl talk?" Tali nodded.

"Sorry boys," Shepard apologised as she stood. "It seems we're taking this behind closed doors. Come on Tali." The two women disappeared into Shepard's quarters, leaving two very confused men behind.

"Research?" Kaidan said, looking confused.

"Looked more like drunken gossiping to me," Garrus said with a shrug.

"At least the laughter has stopped. Who knew these walls were so thin?" Kaidan said with a shake of his head. Garrus looked a little uncomfortable.

"It would be appreciated if you didn't repeat anything you may have heard,"

"I won't _Gawwus_," Kaidan said with an evil smirk. Garrus groaned.

"At the very least, don't tell Wrex. He mocks me enough as it is."

"Don't worry, I'm just teasing," Kaidan assured him as he stood. "Goodnight Garrus." The turian responded in kind and stood too. He hesitated a moment as he passed the door to the medbay.

"Goodnight Ashley," he murmured, before heading for the lift.

_A/N: Been playing ME1 again, so sorry to all the DA fans but you get more of this. The scene where Liara fell off her stool actually happened to my sister, trying to get the last drops out of a whiskey bottle. Drunken escapades are so fun to write. Thank you to all my beautiful readers/reviewers!_


	7. Surprises

_A/N: Warning NSFW_

Surprises

Ashley swallowed nervously as she approached the unremarkable door at the end of the hall. She knew she had a death-grip on the bag in her hand, her palms sweating, trying to figure out why she was so nervous. She blamed Tali entirely.

They had docked at the Citadel that morning, and Garrus had mentioned at breakfast that he intended to stop by his apartment, to pick up a few things and make sure he hadn't been robbed. Ashley had been in the act of asking if she could come along and see his home, when Tali arrived to tell her she would be accompanying Shepard today. Garrus had shrugged, promising to take her next time, although Ashley was certain he seemed a little disappointed.

Shepard's business on the Citadel came to an abrupt end when the Council informed her she and the Normandy had been grounded. Ashley watched as a storm of rage and frustrating boiled and seethed in the Commander's eyes, though her face was politely impassive, even once they had left the Council chambers. Ashley's request for leave had been granted with a curt nod and a wave, the Commander already striding briskly back to the Normandy. Tali paused briefly to tap at her Omni-tool, and then hurried to catch up. Ashley's Omni-tool beeped just as they turned a corner, and to her surprise, it contained a message from Tali.

'_Just in case you were wondering.' _It read, and contained a link to the Citadel Directory. Specifically, the address of Officer G. Vakarian.

She sent a quick message, and received confirmation from Kaidan that Garrus hadn't yet returned to the Normandy, so she headed off in the direction of the address provided. As she reached his neighbourhood, she stumbled upon a café she recalled him mentioning, that catered solely to dextro-amino aliens. Deciding it would be a good idea to bring him something, she ducked inside. The establishment was turian run, and the only other race she could see inside was a pair of quarians in the corner. She received stares from staff and clientele alike, most simply curious or surprised, although one or two seemed suspicious.

The turian waitress behind the counter stopped cleaning as she approached, her face fixed in the turian equivalent of raised eyebrows. She seemed fairly young, her delicate, slate-coloured cheeks and mandible adorned with intricate white colony markings.

"Hi," Ashley greeted her confidently as she leant against the counter.

"Hi there," the waitress replied with a smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah…" Ashley trailed off as she studied the menu.

"You know you can't eat any of this stuff right?" the waitress pointed out.

"Oh, I know," Ashley assured her. "It's for a friend. I wanted to surprise him."

"Ah, that makes sense," the waitress said with a nod. "You know we get most turians on this level coming in here. Is your friend anyone I might know?"

"You might, actually. He was a C-Sec officer, lives near here. Garrus Vakarian."

"Garrus? He used to be one of our regulars. I had wondered what happened to him, I heard he quite C-Sec to chase a spectre."

"That about sums it up." Ashley frowned as she looked at the unfamiliar dishes described in the menu. The waitress sighed with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, I know what he likes." She tapped out an order on the console in front of her. "It'll just be a couple of minutes.

"Thanks." Ashley said with a sigh of relief, taking a seat on a stool as the waitress went back to cleaning.

"So," the turian began conversationally after a moment. "Are the two of you friends or…_friends?_" Ashley's eyebrows shot up at the question, and she fumbled for an answer.

"What gave you that impression?" She settled for deflecting with a question, which the waitress seemed to take as an affirmative.

"It's ok; it's nothing to be ashamed of. You see every kind of relationship here on the Citadel. Spirits, my mother gave me an asari half-sister! And Garrus is quite a catch, although I never would have guessed he'd be into xeno."

"It ah…kinda took us both by surprise." Ashley mumbled. Her order arrived, and the waitress continued to speak as she packed it into a takeout bag.

"Well, if you've never had a turian, you're in for a treat. I hope it works out between you two, spirits know he's been married to his job for far too long."

"He's dedicated, that's for sure," Ashley said as she paid, blushing spectacularly. It cost a lot less than she thought it should, and she suspected the turian had given her a discount.

"Which isn't necessarily bad," she replied with a shrug. "Just do me a favour, and tell him Kalax says he has to come visit next time he's on the Citadel."

"Will do. Thanks for the help Kalax, I really appreciated it." Ashley waved as she left, bag of turian cuisine in hand.

She stood in front of his door and tapped at the interface. She bit her lip as she waited for an answer, and Garrus finally answered the door…dressed in nothing but a towel. Ashley snapped her jaw shut when she realised it had fallen open.

"Ash," Garrus said, his surprise obvious in his voice. "Well, this is a surprise."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be busy, I can go -"

"No, I'm not busy," Garrus assured her hurriedly. "Please, come in. I just got the message about the Normandy. Since I had time, I decided to take the opportunity to use a shower that is not communal." Ashley chuckled.

"Yeah, ship facilities take a bit of getting used to." She held out the bag. "I got you some lunch. You hungry?" Garrus took the bag from her, and she took the opportunity to examine the room. It was tidy and minimalistic, the only real decoration being a pair of holos on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch to examine them. One showed a bunch of young turians in military armour, who were probably his squad-mates during his military service. The other one appeared to be his family, she recognised his father and a thin, gangly Garrus, guessing he'd been a teenager at the time. He looked like his father, although he had his mother's colouring. He had his arm around a young female turian who was probably his sister.

Garrus sat next to her on the couch, his meal laid out on a plate he set down on the coffee table. It was a slab of strange purple meat, coated in a cream-coloured sauce, with something yellow and mashed as a side.

"I'm impressed Ash," he said between mouthfuls. "This is one of my favourite dishes from back home."

"I had help," she confessed as she leant against his side, still looking at the holos. "By the way, a waitress named Kalax wants you to come visit some time."

"I'll have to do that," he said with a chuckle. "Wouldn't want to get on her bad side."

Leaning against his side, Ashley was once again very aware of his state of undress. For his part, Garrus seemed completely unfazed by it, and she wondered if it was a cultural thing. She nestled in against him, taking comfort from the skin contact. Garrus stilled at the feel of her pressed against him, finally aware that he was almost naked. Her hand stroked his chest lazily, nails scraping against the hard carapace in a way that made him shiver. He put down his eating utensils and turned to see her smiling cheekily at him, the blush on her cheeks belying her bold demeanour.

"I may have had something else in mind, when I decided to stop by," she said coyly as her hand slowly made its way lower, towards his waist.

"Really?" he managed to rumble as he pulled her over onto his lap. He nestled his mouth into the crook of her neck, nibbling against the tender flesh the way he knew she liked. "And what might that be?" he murmured into her ear. His husky, flanging tone felt almost like a physical caress, and she pressed up against him, her own mouth now teasing and nibbling at his neck. He let out a low moan, and she could feel his arousal swelling beneath her.

"If there's a chance we could die saving the galaxy," she whispered into his ear, feeling his hands tightened where they gripped her hips. "I want to know what I've been missing, sooner rather than later." He pushed her back slightly to look her in the eye.

"We're not going to die Ash," he said seriously. "Not if I have any say over it." She smiled sadly at him, raising a hand to lightly stroke his mandible.

"You saw on Virmire what Shepard is willing to sacrifice for this fight. Next time it could be you she leaves behind." The turian looked down at her words, knowing she spoke the truth. "We can't know what the future holds, but I do know," she lifted his chin so he looked into her eyes again, "that I want to fight, and if necessary die, knowing that I gave you everything."

"Ash," he began but she cut him off.

"Shh, I'm not done. I'm not good with words. Other people say what I'm feeling better than I do. But I want you to know that I can see how much I've changed these past few months, and it's all because of you. When I thought I was going to die on Virmire, I prayed. I prayed for you, Garrus. I prayed that you would find someone who really appreciated you, who had… had the courage to tell you how she felt before it was too late…"

"Ash," he said softly. "I understand what you're trying to say." She smiled at him, and he answered with a wide grin. "Now shut up and get over here."

Her hands gripped his neck, and she pulled him into a fierce kiss. His hands roamed her body, releasing clasps and buttons as he slowly peeled away her uniform. Their hips ground together mercilessly, and both were soon panting with arousal. Growling low in his throat, Garrus twisted to throw her back onto the couch, finally able to remove the bottom half of her uniform. Leaning over her, his mouth buried in her neck, his towel slipped away, and Ashley felt his thick, moist tumescence where it pressed against her underwear and navel.

"Oh my God!" she breathed as she snaked a hand down to touch it, her fingers tracing the ridges and eliciting a pleasured keen from Garrus.

He leant back to look down at her, a sheepish expression on his face. She continued to massage his member mercilessly, making it difficult for him to speak.

"I, ah I'm not t-too sure where ah to g-o from ah here," he confessed as his eyes shuttered closed in pleasure.

"Just do what feels natural, and I'll tell you if I want you to stop," Ashley suggested soothingly. He smiled, leaning down to kiss her and pulled her hair from its bun. He looked down at the effect, deciding he liked the sight of the flushed human lying dishevelled below him. He slipped off her underwear, and shuffled back to position himself between her thighs. Hesitantly, he licked at the fleshing opening, startled to find it tasted like a confection he's loved as a child. He licked again, a long stroke the traced over the lips and the engorged bud above them. He heard Ashley moan above him, and took the encouragement, concentrating his strokes in the areas that caused the moaning. Soon Ashley was a shaking, panting mess, her moans becoming louder and more frequent.

"Garrus, yes, oh God, please don't stop!" she rambled, her hands gripping the couch as he stroked her ever closer to her climax.

He felt her body lock, and her sex spasm against his mouth as she stopped breathing for a moment, her eyes closed and her head thrown back. He worried for a moment, but then she let out a long breath, her entire body loosening as she slumped further into the couch.

"Good?" Garrus asked.

"Very!" came the husky reply. "Now shut up and get over here!" The turian needed no further encouragement, sidling up to kiss her as he positioned himself between her thighs. She felt a throbbing heat press against her lips, and she pushed up against it. The head slipped inside her, stretching her to the point of discomfort. Her hands gripped his back as he pushed into her, and she bit her lip as she tried to overcome the uncomfortable intrusion. She'd never felt so full in her life.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asked as he paused in his entry.

"No, it's just taking a little getting used to." She nibbled his neck to distract him, and he pulled back to thrust slowly back in. He continued at this slow pace, and soon her discomfort dissipated, and she could feel the passage of every bump and ridge on his member as they slid against her slick walls. She began to match his rhythm, and he picked up the pace. She felt impossibly tight around him, softer and wetter than the turian women he was used to. She began to moan again as his tempo increased, matched a low rumble in his chest. Her knees hooked over his angular hips, and both lovers gasped as the change in angle heightened their pleasure. Soon he was driving into her, her back arched and her head thrown back, her moans now unbridled cries.

He had thought she couldn't be any tighter, and he cried out in surprise as her walls suddenly gripped him and spasmed, her body tensed as she came a second time. The new sensation pushed him over the edge, and the deep purr in his chest was let loose as a primal roar, and he fought his overwhelming instincts enough that he sank his teeth into the couch arm and not her shoulder. He was fairly sure the act didn't mean the same things to humans as it did to turians, and he didn't want to hurt her.

They lay together for a while, neither caring about the mess they lay in or that they had ruined his couch. Eventually, Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but both their Omni-tools chimed before they could.

"It's an urgent message from Shepard. We got to get back to the Normandy ASAP." Garrus said with a frown as he read.

"Looks like duty calls," Ashley said with a sigh. "But we definitely need to shower first."

_A/N: Well that happened. And it was dragged out kicking and screaming, this behemoth took so long to get down. I think my Ashley is rather OOC, but I can't find it in myself to care because these two are just so adorable. Anyway, hope you liked it._


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

Ashley felt like her nerves were on fire. The sight of Sovereign's unimaginable bulk falling away to rain deadly debris across the presidium would have been breath-taking, were it not for the knowledge that Garrus, Shepard and Kaidan battled Saren below. Having finally made it back onto the Citadel, Ashley raced along it's ruined pathways until she arrived at the Presidium's heart, the Council Chamber. A tired looking C-Sec officer attempted to stop her, but a nod and a wave from Captain Anderson allowed her entry.

"I don't know why you're here, but more hands are always welcome," he said once she was in ear-shot.

"Captain! We have life signs!" one of the rescue workers called from across the room, kneeling in front of a mountain of debris. Ashley made her way over to where the workers had already begun digging, shoving her way to the front with ease. Soon they had produced an opening, and Ashley couldn't hide the grin on her face when she caught sight of Garrus, battered and bruised, but alive. Happy in the knowledge that he's alive, she stepped back to allow the medic through. The medic managed only a cursory scan before Garrus pushed his way out of their hole and into Ashley's arms.

Ashley just stood there, her forehead pressed against his, letting him hold her as she got a handle her emotions.

"Who's the damsel in distress now?" she mocked, eliciting a chuckle from the tired turian.

"I figured it was high time I let you play the 'knight in shining armor'," he replied. Ashley kissed him deeply, smiling impishly as she pulled back.

"And the brave knight always gets a kiss from the fair damsel."

"I think I could get used to being a damsel," He mused. "Much less stressful."

"Where's Shepard?" Kaidan's voice cut through their reverie like a knife.

"Right here," a familiar voice called. Shepard's figured appeared atop a large hunk of debris, cutting an impressive silhouette even as she clutched her side. Ashley smiled as she watched Kaidan make his way over to Shepard, smiling,although his brow pinched with worry.

A human C-Sec officer discreetly tapped Garrus on the shoulder.

"Hey Vakarian. I'm in charge of recording damage, and I didn't think you'd really want this in the official records." He tapped a few strokes on his omni-tool, causing Garrus' own omni-tool to announce it had received a message. "I gotta go. See you 'round Vakarian." He turned to Ashley. "And congratulations ma'am. You've got yourself one hell of a turian." He left with a nod and a wave. Curious, Garrus opened up the file his old colleague had sent him. The omni-tool's orange tinged screen showed a vid of Garrus scrambling out of the debris to sweep Ashley up in his arms.

"Ooh, can I get a copy of that?" Ashley asked, mesmerised as she watched the electronic version of herself kiss him. Garrus chuckled.

"Sure. And I'm gonna have to send Vaughn something nice. I knew I liked that guy for a reason."

* * *

Garrus lay awake in the bed of his apartment, one hand around Ashley's waist as she slept curled up around his tall frame. One claw stroked her side lazily as he gazed up at the ceiling. He would be the first to admit that he didn't know much about the relationship dynamics of other species. He had never thought it was something he would need to know. But as he lay there with his very much human lover in his arms, he regretted his lack of knowledge. His natural instincts were getting stronger, and he knew that if she were a turian he would have marked her long ago.

But she was human. And he was afraid. He recalled the harrowing battle just hours before, first the mad dash to Ilos, and then the battlefield that had been the Citadel. The sheer size of Sovereign had been overwhelming, and as they had battled their way to the Citadel's heart, his mind had been dominated by one thought. _Let the Normandy survive the attack. Please let her live._ He had known that Ashley herself would be just as worried as him, with him in the thick of battle and her unable to help. He had been so relieved to see her face when the rubble that trapped him and Kaidan was finally cleared away. It had taken enormous restraint not to drag her into the hole and into his arms then and there, and then the medic had demanded to scan him. But he had finally held her again, finally feeling true calm for the first time since they had landed on Ilos.

They had returned to the sanctuary of his apartment, and now here he lay, spent from their love-making and yet unable to sleep. He knew that she was all he would ever want, and his instincts screamed at him to mark her, so all would know she was his and his alone. But he had no idea how she would react to that. Turians knew very quickly if a relationship was going to last or not. It was uncommon for them to date for more than a few months without moving on or marking their partner, an act equivalent to a binding engagement, to be followed by a ceremony that was really a formality. They had little to no concept of divorce, and Garrus couldn't bear the thought of marking her only for her to decide that he wasn't what she really wanted.

A part of him knew that his fear was unfounded, but his inexperience with human relationships kept him from burying his doubts. For now he would enjoy what he had, turning on his side to fully enclose her in his arms. A small smile was on her sleeping face, and when sleep finally claimed him, Garrus was smiling too.

_So this is the end of Trust and Curiosity, but it is not the end for Garrus and Ashley. I always intended to carry this story across all three games, but in the sequel they won't be the sole focus. The story will still mostly be told from their point of view, and track their relationship, but, for the ME2 part at least, I wanted to look into the relationship between Ash and Kaidan as he struggles with losing Shepard (and he will really struggle because I have **plans** for him), while Ashley attempts to keep him grounded while dealing with her own lose and subsequent perceived betrayal._

_I know this epilogue is very short and doesn't really say much, but the truth is, I struggled to write it because for me this Act is already over. I was tempted to finish on the last chapter, but still had a couple things I needed to throw in before we get into the sequel, which at this point is going to be titled '**Broken Pedestals**', but I'll let you know if that changes.  
_

_Ka kite e hoa! _

_Katyakora_


End file.
